What can I say to my self from 20 years ago?

[Markness]

I often get flashbacks to my past self when I was 17 and sad I didn’t have a girlfriend while most of the other guys at school did. I wish I could tell him things will get better and that he won’t live the rest of his life alone but I am still struggling with many of the same issues even 20 years later. What can I say to the person I was before?

 

[AuAL]

What would you tell him that might change things for you now? Or what could he tell you that would change things for you now? Isn’t the person you could be tomorrow the most important to consider? You can change who that person will be. One day at a time. Why not imagine what you, twenty years from now, would thank you for?

 

[lunarious]

..You can't change the past, but you can change The Future.

@tree told me how non-tiger you are, being gentle, and that might be good though. It's good to be gentle. You don't have to be violent. Being violent and sexual is technically same.

PS: What's the difference between gentle and genteel?

Edit: Le garcon est tres genteel

 

[Hypnalis]

<..> I wish I could tell him things will get better<...>. What can I say to the person I was before?

You should tell him how to set realistic medium- and long-term objectives, and how to develop himself into a person that can achieve those objectives.

The highlighted part of the quote is the wrong thing to tell (almost) anyone, but especially a teenager who doesn't fit perfectly into the NT world.

The sooner people stop waiting for things to happen to them, and instead start working towards reasonable goals, the better.

BTW: Asking for general advice implies you understand that nothing in a human domain is 100% correct.
If you don't like what I said that's fine, but don't hide behind "one in a thousand" exceptions.

Dale Carnegie was right too - but "positive thinking" is a way to remove internal constraints.

People without goals, just "blowing in the wind", don't really have constraints of that sort.
You can't be lost of you don't know where you want to go.

 

[Neonatal RRT]

I don't know about the rest of you, but I am in a constant state of change with my knowledge, beliefs, philosophies, wisdom, and spirituality. I actually like the fact that I am not the same person I was... even a few weeks ago. I would like to believe I am a better person now than I once was. Every once in a while, I will read a post I made some 1 or 2 years ago on here... and I've modified my position on a few of them. That's where I was... and this is me now.

Had I the knowledge, beliefs, wisdom, etc. I have now, some 20, 30, 40 years ago, I know I would be in a different situation now. Unfortunately, and fortunately, that's not how life works... at least for us mortal human beings bound to this physical world. I don't give it much thought. I use my experiences to gain wisdom... not to ruminate.

I was and am a very goal-oriented person. I wake up with a purpose and something to accomplish each day. It has served me well. I whole-heartedly agree with what @Hypnalis suggested above.

 

[velociraptor]

What can I say to the person I was before?

Nothing, unless you have a DeLorean and you punked a bunch of Libyans. Life flows past us like a river and we can never enter the water itself in the same place twice. Better to speak to yourself in the present, remind yourself that you are of worth, that your travels have meaning, and that there is still a great journey ahead of you. Jump into the water in the river that is in front of you today because it is gone tomorrow.